Combined timer and distributer



G. L. LANG. COMBINED TIMER AND DISTRIBUTER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 17. 1918.

Patented Oct. 26, 1920.

INVENTOR GEORGE L. LA/va.

M WWU 4 a. mam-x VFVUNITED, STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

' GEORGE L. LANG, E NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO SPLITDORF ELEcTRicAL' COMPANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

' Newark, in the county of Essex and v of New Jersey, have invented certain new COMBINED TIMER AND DISTRIBUTER.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Continuation 11; part of abandoned application Serial No. 133,950, filed November 28, 1916. This applica.

' tion filed September 17, 1918. Serial No. 254,510.

T 0 whom it may concern Be it-known that I, GEORGE L.Y LIANG,I2L, citizen of the United States, residin 1n tate and useful Improvements in Combined, Timers and Distributers, of which the following is a clear and exact description.

My invention has to do with timer and distributer mechanisms in connection with systems wherein high and low tension cir cuits are employed, and wherein the timer device is adapted toperiodically open and close the low tension circuit in accordance with the operation of certain'elements of the system, while the d1str1buter is arranged to cooperate with said tlmer in such a way that the currents inducedin the high tenparts so constructed and arranged as to render the operation of its working members, together with the adjustment of the several elements thereof, both'of a simple and desirable nature. To theattainment of this end I have preferably mounted upon a supporting plate the several parts associated with the timer, such as a stationary and movable contact, a movable arm, and the cam actuated member. And in conjunction with this arrangement of timer parts I have also provided a novel means of housing said parts and supporting the distributer block, whereby all working members are inclosed and protected while in. operation, yet in the necessity of repair and adjustment said working members may be readily exposed and made accessibleto facilitateany such adjustment as may be required.

Inasmuch as I prefer to employ means for.

timing the circuit breaker consisting of a lever formed integrally with the supporting I plate for the timer members, and which lever is adapted to extend through an opening in the timer housing, it is another object of my invention to. provide means whereby said opening is at all times completely covered to prevent the inroad of foreign substances, regardless of the position said lever may as sume., 1

Another important feature which the present invention aims to secure is the provision of means whereby the inclosure within which the several members are contained maybe properly ventilated in order toprevent the accumulation'of thoseagents whose presence tends to rapidly depreciate the contact members of the mechanism.

These and other suchobjects as are contemplated by the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a study of the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying Patented Oct. 26, 1920. I

drawing wherein like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the several views. i

- Vith respect to thedrawing, Figure 1 is a longitudinal view, partly in section, .of a timer and distributer mechanism constructed in accordance with my inv'ehtiom With certain parts broken away in order to more clearly illustrate the relative arrangement of the working members.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the adjustable timer plate showing the arrangement of the t1mer members thereon.

Fig. 3 is a perspective'view of the timer plate shown in Fig. 2 but with all of the timer parts remove Fig. 4 is a perspective showing of a housing member, a portion of which is broken away in thefigure in order to show its form more clearly.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of tl1e.dis-.

tributer block and housing member showing the manner in which the same are mounted and secured'in position, and a Fig. 6 is a perspective viewfof the distributer member, partly broken away, and illustrating the manner in which the distributer finger is attached. 1

Fig. 7 is a view of the shaft carrying the cam.

' Coming now to the description of my mechanism, 1 is the main supporting member, of hollow formation, and flanged at one i which it is applicable, such as to some member. operated by an internal combustlon engine.

end to form the plate 2/ Within said supporting member is a rotatable shaft 3 which carries the cam I at one end thereof. At the other end of this shaft isa spiral gear 5 secured thereto by-p-in 54:, and by means of which the. device is ope-ratively connected to' any suitable member in the'system to with threads 58 cut thereon adjacent to the tapered portion 57. and a further reduced end 10 which will ,be hereinafter referred I to. The cam 4 may then be placed upon the r 25 tapered end 57 of shaft 3 and secured in position for rotation therewith by means of a nut 9. Carried by this timer supporting plate 6, are theseve'ral elements which constitute thetimer mechanism; said elements include a, stationary contact which is adjustably mounted upon the contact supporting member 11, secured upon the plate v6' by a means of screws 12 and electrically insu- Ilated therefrom in any suitable manner as by a strip of fiber 13. This contact is elec- .tricallyconnected in the primary circuit of the battery ignitionsystem. owever, if desirablei'my device may be used in connection with magneto ignition, in which case the said stationary contact: would belikewise connected in series with the low tension circuit thereof. As seen in Figs. la 'nd 2 suchzconnection is accomplished by means of the wire 14 which passes through a hole 15 in the main supporting member 1 and thehole 16 in plate 6 to vbezconnected to the contact support 11' as by means of a nut 17.

gSaid hole 15 of the main supporting memf her is also of sutficientsize. to-prevent any interference of the conductor 14 while the timer plate isbeing' adjusted to-its several advance and retard positions. Pivotally mounted upon said timer plate as by means of a stud 18 is a lever-19 which carries the" ,movable contact 20, adapted to cooperate with said contact 10 in order to intermittently open an'd'close'the primary circuit. In order to effect this circuit interrupting process there is a member 21 secured to the lever 19in such a way as to be actuated by a the cam 4. "This member 21 may be of any suitable wearing material and is So constructed as to be adjustable for the purpose of presenting a'plurality-of wearing surfaces the action. of said cam 4. Disposed aboutthe stud 18 is a spring 22 having one end fixed to the lever 19 and the other end secured to a stud 23 whereby its tension tends to constantly hold contacts 10 and in their closed'position. Wearing member 21 is secured upon the said lever bv means 'of a bolt 21 the head of which bhlt (not shown) is allowed to play back and forth.

with the movement of said lever, in the aperture 25 of the timer supporting plate 6. Said plate 6; is alsoprovided with two angular slots 26. Screws 27 pass through these slots and aretln'eaded into the supporting member-1 to thereby" hold said timer plate in its proper working position, Said slats are of sufficient arc to allow the timer plate to be-adjusted to its several positions and they further serve as a limiting stop for the extreme advance and retard positions there of. Also mounted upo'n plate 6 is a resilient element 55. This element has its. free 1' end imposed in the path of oscillation of the lever 19 and cooperate therewith to main- .tain a uniform time periodfor the opening} of the contacts 10 and 20. 'This feature is especially advantageous at high speeds o.

the cam 4 since said element 55 acts to over come theinertiaof the lever 19. and thereby eliminates the so called mechanicallag and its attendantgresults of improper timing. It will'be understood that the movable contact: 20 is suitably grounded in or- -der, to properly complete the primary circuit above mentioned 4 The outer periphery of flange 2 is formed with an annular shoulder 28, around which shoulder is adapted to fit the ring 29. Said ring serves as a member'to lncloseand protectthe workingelement's of my device. and

has its upper end flanged oi'itward'ly at right angles as at 30, the purpose of which flange will presently be described. In the lower portion of member 29 is a notch 31 which is adapted 'to engagea suitable pin 56 projecting radially from the flange 2 whereby said ring 29 is held securely in place against the possibility of relative rotation with the support 1 due to excessive jar and vibration. At a point preferably opposite the notch 31 the housing ring 29 is cut away to form the elongated notch 32. This notch 32 serves as an opening through which the timer lever 7 is adapted to extend. In order to guard against the inroad of dirt and other foreign substances through said opening 32 I have provided a closing member 33 which is adapted to be mounted-upon the lever 7 and secured in position by means of a resilient ring 34, which may be sprung into the notches 35 to thereby' hold said member in place. In this position the closing member .33 presses against the exterior surface of ring 29 to keep the slot 32 completely closed throughout the entire range of movement of the lever 7.

sulating material, and is of cup-shape formation in order to cooperate with said housing ring to provide an inclosure for the various working elements. In its assembly said dlstributer block is adapted to rest 'upon the above mentioned flange and is further provided with a depending flange 37 which cooperates with the inner wall of the ring 29 to hold said block in proper position. To further prevent the distributer block from becoming accidentally displaced with reference to the ring 29. there is also a.

as designed with four terminal posts 39 whereby the high tension current is directed in proper sequence to each of the engine cylinders. The cam actuating shaft 3 has its end reduced in diameter as at 40. The

distributer member generally indicated by reference character 41 is provided with a circular aperture 42 which permits the same to be detachably mounted upon said reduced portion 40 of the shaft 3. On the underside of this distributer member is a metallic plate carrying a projecting pin 43 which is adapted to be inserted in either of the holes 44 of the cam 4 to lock the distributing, member 41 for rotation with the cam shaft. It will be readily understood that for timingpurposes the nut 9 carried on the threads 58 of shaft 3 is loosened and the cam 4 turned to the proper position and the nut 9 again turned in the proper direction to draw the cam 4 down on to the taper 57. It will also be observed that since the distributing member 41 is drivingly carried by the cam 4 that it will be adjusted in position along with the said cam. Secured to the upper portion of this distributer member, as by means of a screw 45, is the distributing finger 46. This finger is adapted, in its rotation. to convey high tension ignition current flowing from the post 47 to the spring pressed brush 48, to each of .the

contacts 49 and thence to the proper spark-' ing device associated with each of the respective engine cylinders. While I have chosen to call the members 49, of which but one isshown, contact members, yet in reality the distributing finger 46 in its rotation does not make actual contact with these members. However, the clearance is so slight as to be negligible as far as the passage of current is concerned while by providing this clearance the unnecessary wearing of these elements is eliminated. Inasmuch as it is desirable that devices of this character shallbe applicable to be driven in either right or left hand direction, depending upon the manner in which they are associated with the engine, I have so designed my timer-distributer that this change of direction may be accomplished in a comparatively simple manner and without affecting the efliciency of its. operation. For a given direction of r0- tation the distributing finger 46 is seen to be of sufficient arc to allow for complete adjustment of the timer plate. In order to adapt my structure for a different direction of rotation it is merely necessary to remove the screw 45 andinvert the finger 46, at the same time removing the pin 43 from its position and inserting it in the other of said holes 44. That is, if it is desired to change my device from right to left hand' rotation the finger 46 is inverted as ,described and distributer member 41 is moved relative to the shaft 3 so that the pin 43 may be inserted in hole 44 marked as L.

IVith particular reference to Fig. 5, there is shown here a method by. which the several parts of the device are securely held in position. At convenient points as between the posts 39. the distributer head 36 is provided with slots 50. Cooperating with the shoulders at the bottom of these slots are resilient members 51, pivotally mounted on the flange 2 of the main supporting member. These members 51, when clamped in place, securely hold the distributer head 36 and the housing ring 29 in place against the flange 2. While but oneof spring members 51 is shown it is' evident that there may be any suitable number. By unclamping these spring members the distributer block 36 and the housing ring 29 maybe quickly removed to freely expose the entire working structure of my device and in this manner the adjustment or repair of the various 'working elements is greatly facilitated.

I come now to an important feature of my invention. It is found that the repeated passage of electric sparks in confined spaces,

as is the case in the ordinary timer dis-f vtributer of this character, is usually at tended with a more or less deleterious effect the moisture to givethe corresponding acids.

Such deteriorating agents," and especially the acids mentioned, tend to rapidly impair the metallic contact members. In order to avoid this difficulty I haveprovided a hole or air passage 52 in the ring29. In the distributer block 36 andpreferably at a point s'ibstantially opposite hole 52 is a second air stances which tend to depreciate and impair;

the contacts and other worldng members. From the foregoing description it- -will be apparent that my invention ischa-racterized by several novel and desirable features, all f of which are instrumental in ,securing a more effective and eflicientdevice of'this character; :Among these features is the 'manner in which I have mounted the sev;

eral timer elements upon a single supporting plate having formed therewith an integral adjusting lever. By this means lthe'time of the spark may be adjusted without any movement of the distributer, headu This feature is especially made possible by the" novel manner in which the distributer' block is mounted relative to theotherelements of the structure. 1

It is obvious that many changes and'alterations may. be made and. I therefore do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction and operation shown herein.

Any such changes itis'believed will come" within'the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim. is:,

1. In a timer distributer, a main support ing plate, a shaft extending therethrough, a second plate adjustably mounted upon said supporting plate and having a timing lever formed integral therewith, a cam car-. ried on said shaft, timer member carried at on said second plate and coiiperating with said cam, a distributing member having a driving connection with the shaft through said cam, a distributer head, having contacts to cotiperate with the distributing member;

an annular ring having a slot in the side thereofto receive said lever and resting upon the main supporting plate and carrying said head and means for engaging said head for holdingboth it and the ring. to the main .50 plate. a I

2. In a timer-distributer,.a main support- 1 ing plate, a second plate adjustab'lymounted on said first plate, an annular ring detachablymounted upon said main plate and serving as ahousingfo'r said second'plate, a slot in saidring, a lever extending through said slot and integral with said second plate and serving as a means whereby this plate may be rotatably adjusted relative to the to main supporting plate, and means associated having a camthereon, a-support for said shaft a timer supporting plate with timer" with said lever to cover said'slot. 3. In ,a timer-distributer, a main supporting plate, timer members and a second plate 7 for supporting saidtimer members, a distributer block, a housing member detachably moun ted upon the main supporting plate housing member, a portion of said second plate extending through said slot whereby thegtimer members may be. adjusted, and.

, means exterior of said -housing member for closing the said slot therein. p \c 43111 a timer-di-trlbuter, a timer supporting plate having an integral adjusting lever,

T timer members mounted upon said plate, a

shaft extending through said plateand carfrying a cam adaptedtov actuate said timer members, a housing member having an aperture therein through which said lever extends for the purpose of rotating said plate relative to said shaft, resilient means detach-p ably carried upon and actuated by said lever, resilient m'eans for securing saidfirst means in place, said first means being adaptf ed to slidably engage the housing member to provide a closure for saidaperture. 1 5. In a timer-distributen,\.a housing inemher, aiplate within said housing with timer members thereon, a lever integral with said plate extending through an aperture'in said "housing for the purpose of adjusting said timer members, and means actuated by said" lever. to constantly maintain a closure for sa d aperture.

-.ber, a platewithin said housing with timer therethrough whereby said plate may be revolvedto adjust said timer members, a resilient member mounted upon said extending portion of the plate and engaging thesurface of the housing member on either side of said aperture, whereby said aperture is covered at all times. 3

7." Ina timer-distributor, la main support with a shaft extending therethrough, a supporting plate mountedlupon said main support, timer members carried by the supportjing plate, a cam on said shaft to actuate said timer members,a housing shell'detachably mounted upon the main support, a dis.- tributer head detachably mounted upon the {said housing shell, a distributer member carrying a distributing finger mounted upon said shaft and cooperating with the-distributer head, anaperture in said shell and means-extending therethrough to adjust said timer members, and-means for adjusting the finger position to give forward and reverse rotation which involves an. angular shift of both distributer member and finger; I

8; In a timer-distributer, a, rotatable shaft its associated 9a 6. In a timer-distributer, a housing memmembers thereon, an aperture in said housfor detachably securing the samein position upon the first said, support, a distributing member carrying a distributer finger supported by said shaft and cooperating with I the'distributer block, means including said cam whereby the distributing member and distributer finger inits cooperation with said distributer block maybe adapted for either direction of rotation of said shaft, said last means also serving to rotatably connect 10 the distributor member'to said shaft.

In witness whereof, I afiix my signature.

GEORGE L. LANG. 

